Pinyin: Qingmengshi
Aliases
Mengshi
Source
Metamorphic rock biotite schist or chloritized mica carbonate schist.
Distribution
Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
After harvesting, remove impurities, stones, and sediment.
Medicinal Properties
1. Black mica schist: Mainly scaly or flaky aggregates. Irregular flat lumps or long oblique blocks, without obvious edges and corners. Brownish-black or greenish-black, with a glassy luster. Soft texture, fragile, with distinct layered flakes on the fracture surface. The crushed powder is mainly black or greenish-black scales (biotite), with star-like sparkles. Odor: faint; Taste: bland. Those with greenish-black color, soft and fragile texture, and luster are considered superior.
2. Greenschist (chloritized mica carbonate schist): A granular and small-scaly aggregate. Gray or greenish-gray in color, interspersed with silver or pale yellow scales with luster. Texture loose, friable, powder is grayish-green scales (chloritized mica flakes) and granules (mainly carbonates). Flaky pieces exhibit stellate sparkle. Effervesces upon contact with dilute hydrochloric acid, with vigorous bubbling upon heating. Odor: faint; Taste: bland. The grayish-green variety with luster is considered superior.
Chemical Constituents
The main components of black mica schist are silicates of potassium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, salty, neutral. Enters the Lung, Heart, and Liver channels.
Functions and Indications
Sedates Phlegm, descends Qi, calms the Liver, settles fright, promotes digestion, and attacks accumulations. Used for stubborn phlegm binding, cough with dyspnea and wheezing, epilepsy and mania, irritability and chest oppression, infantile convulsions and spasms.
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: in pill or powder form, 3-6 g; in decoction, 10-15 g, wrapped in cloth and decocted first.
Precautions and Contraindications
Not indicated for cases of phlegm-heat accumulation with unresolved stasis (excess pattern), or for those with Spleen and Stomach weakness, Yin deficiency with dry phlegm, and pregnant women are contraindicated.
Prescriptions
1. For treating phlegm syncope and all phlegm disorders: Mengshi (chlorite schist, calcined and quenched with milk) 60 g, Dahuang (rhubarb, steamed nine times) 60 g, Chenxiang (agarwood) 30 g, Banxia (Pinellia ternata, processed with ginger and alum) 60 g, Chenpi (tangerine peel) 60 g, Huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis, wine-processed) 60 g. Grind into powder, form into pills with aged rice paste, each pill the size of a mung bean. Take 9 g per dose. (From *Hui Zhi Tang Jing Yan Fang*: Mengshi Huatan Wan). 2. For treating food accumulation transforming into phlegm with gastric fullness and dizziness in adults and children: Mengshi (chlorite schist) 21 g, Huoxiao (saltpeter) 21 g (grind and stir-fry together until the saltpeter loses its potency), Zhishi (immature bitter orange), Muxiang (costus root), Baizhu (Atractylodes macrocephala) each 60 g. Grind all into powder, add Hongqu (red yeast rice) 60 g, also ground, mix with water to form pills the size of Chinese parasol seeds. Take 9 g each morning with plain boiled water. (From *Fang Mai Zheng Zong*). 3. For treating pertussis (whooping cough): Qing Mengshi (green chlorite schist) 27 g, Baifan (alum) 9 g, Mangxiao (sodium sulfate) 18 g. Grind together into fine powder, divide into 30 portions. Take 1 portion 3 times daily. (From *He Nan Sheng Mi Yan Dan Fang Ji Jin*). 4. For treating women’s food-induced abdominal masses that have not resolved for a long time, causing stabbing pain in the heart and abdomen: Qing Mengshi (green chlorite schist, powdered) 0.6 g, Muxiang (costus root, powdered) 0.3 g, Naosha (sal ammoniac, stone-free, finely ground) 15 g, Zhusha (cinnabar, finely ground) 0.3 g, Fenshuang (calomel, powdered) 0.6 g, Badou (croton seeds, peeled, core removed, ground, wrapped in paper and pressed to remove oil) 0.9 g. Grind all ingredients together until uniform, mix with glutinous rice paste to form pills the size of mung beans. Take 2 pills on an empty stomach with warm wine, until passage of pathological matter is effective. (From *Sheng Hui Fang*: Mengshi Wan). 5. For treating all types of accumulations, whether deficiency or excess, cold or heat, from alcohol or food, regardless of duration: Qing Mengshi (green chlorite schist, ground) 60 g, Huashi (talcum, ground) 30 g, Qingdai (indigo naturalis) 15 g, Qingfen (calomel) 9 g. Grind together uniformly. Take 3 g per dose, mixed with noodle soup, and immediately rinse the mouth with water. One day before taking the medicine, eat only plain congee; take the medicine in the evening. If no effect is seen by the next evening, take another 1.5 g. After passage of pathological matter, rest with congee and soup for 2-3 days. If there is no accumulation, the medicine will pass with stool, causing no harm. Rest the following day. (From *Pu Ji Fang*: Mengshi San).
